There Are Two Types of Patients

Regular readers know I am all about efficiency and simplifying the clinical decision making process.

Here are two more guidelines that you can use based on my experience. Essentially, there are two types of patients, those who are

Rapid Responders
Slow Responders

You can call them patients who fall into the CPR for thrust manipulation, or derangement syndrome. Either way, for the fast responders, end range loading absolutely helps. The end range loading into the direction of limitation will often rapidly increased the ROM and also reduce the pain. This is for the HEP, more often than the Tx. How you get there may be the use of IASTM, FR, and spinal manipulation if needed, or it may be patient generated end range loading per the MDT paradigm. End range loading works well, IF you are assertive enough to get the patient to load sometimes into a very painful movement! MDT Dips are excellent at this without ever touching a patient.

Plausible mechanisms why certain patients respond rapidly

education and interaction with an empathetic clinician decreases perceived threat
end range loading fires mechanoreceptors bombarding the CNS with proprioceptive input, thus increasing the movement tolerance in the painful direction
acutely locked or deranged joints like a TMJ, tibiofemoral, facet, or UMT (wrist) are reduced and are thus able to move

Expect these patients to improve if they are acute and compliant with the HEP in 4-6 visits.

The slow responders normally DO NOT respond to aggressive end range loading. Ironically, cases like total knee replacements, true frozen shoulders/hips, or persistent pain states with severe motion loss, respond better to graded pain free movement within the available range. The treatments should still involve IASTM, but lighter for neuro effects, mobilization with movement with Mulligan rules, functional release to tolerance, neurodynamic sliders progressing to light tensioners.

Plausible mechanisms why certain patients respond slowly

highly sensitized CNS, which guards all movements/activities and lowers pain threshold
lower pain tolerance, less likely to be compliant if the HEP is too aggressive or even perceived to be too aggressive
severe mechanical tissue, joint, and/or neurodynamic dysfunction
generalized deconditioned state
lack of understanding of why PT may help

A recent example of this, s/p TKA 2 weeks ago, stated he would "see stars" as the PT forced him to 90 degrees daily. He came straight from subacute to my clinic. He started at only for knee flexion 30-60, mainly due to being very irritated. We did light IASTM along the quads, hamstrings, gastroc, and mobilized his hip and ankle. We gave him light heel slides, and short arcs on the bike for HEP. He left feeling much better with 10 degrees gained in both directions. He especially liked when I explained to him and my current student what the best predictor of TKA was in the long term! (hint, it's NOT ROM or MMT scores)

His main complaint "I KNEW the other PT was being too aggressive!" Here's the bottom line with this one, if they think you're being too aggressive, AND you are not seeing changes in function/ROM, maybe it's time to lighten up.

Another example, I saw two bilateral TKAs two summers ago. The only treatment for both was IASTM to the restricted LE muscles, light ankle and hip mobs. Their HEP consisted of mini-lunges, mini-squats, and step-up/downs. That's IT. Everything to tolerance. Both better in 12 visits. Not bad for bilateral!

This approach works well with frozen shoulder and hips as well. Hope you learn not to push some patients as aggressively. Maybe they'll gain range from the force regression!